Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1887-12-23
ALLAN QuARTERNAIu
A BROWNING CITY

Little can We understand or me, NyIep-
tina and my Lords. If we know not that for
me there is no middle path; that | scorn
your pity and hate ye for it; that cast Off
YOUR forgiveness as though IL were ser
pentis sting and that standing here, be
trayed, deserted, insulted, and alone, yet
triumph over We, mock We, and defy We.
one aud ALL and thus | answer ye;" and
then of a sudden, before anybody guessed
what she insended to do, she drove the lit
tie silver spear she carried in her hand INTO
her side with such strong ana STEADY ann
that the keen point projected through her
back and she fell prone upon the pave
ment
NyIeptha shrieked, and poor Good almost
tainted at the sight, while the rest of us
rushed towards her. But Sorais of the
Night raised herself upon her hand, and
for moment fixed her glorious eyes in
tently on Curtis face, as though there
were some message in the glance, then
dropped her mead and sighed, and with
sob her dark yet splendid spirit passed.
Well, they gave her a royal funeral, and
there was an end Of her:
It was a month after the last act Of the
Sorais' tragedy that there was a great cerc-
mony in the Flower Temple, and Curtis
was formally declared King-consOrt OF Lu-
Vendis. | was too i'll TO 90 myself; and,
indeed hate all that sort OF thing, with
the crowns anu tItt iTubl Btt-DBONi ii5 anu
banner-waying; but Good who was there
lin his full-drcss uniform, came back much
impressed and told me that Nyleptta had
looked lovely. aud Curtis had borne him
self i'm n right royal fashion, and had been
received with acclamatiOns that left no
doubt as to his popularity. Also he told
me that when the horse Daylight was led
along in the procession, the popuiace had
shouted "UdcumnzdhIL MdcunlnzdhH!'
till they were hoarse, and would only be
appeased when he, Good, rose in his chariot
and told them | was too i'll TO he present.
Afterward, too, Sir Henry, or rather the
King. came to see me- looking very tired,
and vowing that he had never been so bored
I'm his life; but dare say that that was
slight exaggeration. IL is not in human
nature that man should be altogether
bored on such an extraordinary occasion;
and indeed, as | pointed ont to him, 1t was
n marvellous thing that man, who but
little more than one short year before had
entered great country as an unknown
wanderer, should to-day be married 10 its
beautiful and beloved Queen, and lifted.
amidst public rejoicing, TO its throne: and
] even went the length To cXhort him in
the future not to be carried away by the
pride and pOmp of absolute power, but al
ways to strive to remember that he was
first Christian gentleman, and next II
public servant, called by Providence to Il
great and almost unprecedented trust
These remarks, which he might fairly have
resented, he was 80 good as to receive with
patience, and even TO thank me for making
them.
II was Immediately after this ceremony
that | caused myself to be moved To the
house where am now writing. IL Is II
very pleasant country seat, situated about
two miles from the browning City, onto
which it looks That was five months ago,
during the whole Of which time ] have,
being confined to kind of couch, employ
tut linz hi lt
our wanderings from my journal and our
Joint memories. II is probable that il will
never be rcnd, but il does not much matter
whether il is or not; MT any rate it has
served to while away many hours Of sut-
ferng, for | have suffered n deal of pain
lately Thank God, however, there will
not be much more of it,
II Is n week since | wrote the above, and
now take up my pen for the last time, for
] know TINT the end is ut hand. My brain
is still clear and | can manage to write,
though with difficulty The pain in my
lung, which has been very bad during the
last week has suddenly quite left me, and
been succeeded by Il feeling of numbncsS
of which cannot mistake the meaning.
Ard just rs the pain has gone, SO with it
all fear Of that end has departed, and feel
only rs though were going to sink into
the arms of an unutterablc rest. Happily.
Contcutedly, and with the same sense Of
security with which an infant lays itself 10
sleep in its mothers arms, do | lay myself
down in the arms of the Angel Death All
the trcmOrs, all the Notwithstanding fears
which have haunted me through II life that
seems long as | look back upon il, have
left me now; the storms have passed, and
the Star of our Eternal Hope shines clear
and steady on the horizon that seems SO
far from man, and yet is so very near to
me Tonight.
And SO this Is the end Of ia brief space
of troubling, u few restless, fcverrd an
gulshed years, and then the arms of that
great Angel Death Many times have |
been near to them, many and many com
rade have they embraced even ut my side,
and now it is my turn ut last, and 1t is
well. Twenty-four hours more and the
world viii be gone from me, and with IL
all its hopes aud all its fears. The air will
close in over the space that my form filled
and my place know me no more; for the
dun breath of the worlds forgetfulness
will first dim the brightness of my mem
DRY, aud then blot it out forever, and of a
truth shall he dead. So Is it with us all
How many millions have lain aS | lie and
thought these thoughts and been forgot
teui-thOuSandS upon thousands Of years
ago they thought them, those dying men
of the dim past; and thousands upon thOUS-
ands of years hence will their descendants
think them and be in their turn forgotten.
"As the breath of the oxen in winter, us
VIC 'l'tiAN NNtll lllttb ltilN hlue THO NNNs 3lN
II little shadow that loses itself at sunset"
hs | once heard Zulu called Ignosi put it.,
such is the order of orr life, the order that
passeth away.
Well It Is not n good world-nobody can
say that 1t ia, save those who wilfullv blind
themselves to facts. How can world he
good in which money is the moving power,
and self-intcrcst the guiding star? The
wonder il not, that 1t is 50 bad, but that
there should be any good left in 1t.
Stlll, now that my life is over, | am glad
To have lived, glad to have known the dear
breath of wOman's love, and that true
friendship that can even SurpaSS the love
of woman, glad to have heard the laughter
of little chill lr2n, to have seen the sun and
the moon and the stars to have felt the
KISS OF the salt sea on my face. and watched
the wild game trek down to the water in
the moonlight. But | should not wish to
live aganl
Everything is changing To me. The
darkness draws near and the light departs.
And yet II seems To me that through that
darkness | can already see the shining
welcome of many Il long lost face. Harry
Is there, and others; one above all, TO my
mind the sweetest and most perfect woman
that ever gladdeued this grey earth. But
nt her have already written elsewhere,
aud nj length, SO why speak of her now
Why speak OF her after this long silence,
now hat she is again 81 near To me2
The sinking sun is turning the golden
roof of the great Temple 10 It fiery flame,
and my fingers tire.
80 to all who have known me, or who
can think one kindly thought OF the old
hunter, stretch out my hand from the
iarott shore and bid a long farewell
And now INTO the hands of Almi ghty God,
who sent II, do commit my spirit.
Il have spoken as the Xulus say.
CHAPTER NNIv.-pY THE HAND OF ANOTHER.
\ year has clapSed since our most dear
friend, Allan Quartermain, wrote the
words 81 haze spoken" mt the cud Of his
record of our adventures. Nor should |
have ventured To make any additions to
that record had it not happened that by a
most strange accident a chance has arisen
of its being conveyed to England The
chance is a faint one. il is true but rs it is
not probable that another will arise in our
Ucttmes. Good and myself think that we
may rs well avail ourselves of it, such rs il
is. During the last six months several
Frontier Commissions have been at work
ON the various boundaries of Xu-Nendis,
with Il view Of discovering whether there
exists any possible means of inEreSs or
egreSS from the country. with the result
that Il channel pf rnfnrluuip fips, with tho